Police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel from several towns, along with several canine units, had divided the large open area of the Shelton Greenway into grids to look for Luciano, who reportedly suffers from a seizure disorder.

At 7:45 a.m. Luciano walked into the Huntington Street Cafe, across from the Huntington Fire Department, and asked for a cup of coffee. The health center and the restaurant are 2.4 miles apart, linked for the most part by Shelton Avenue. The greenway and the Harry Brownson Country Club lie between the two.

"He said that he was cold, and he ordered a coffee," said Maria Barden, the employee who had opened the cafe 15 minutes earlier.

"Nothing seemed off" about Luciano, she said. "His lips weren't blue or anything," Barden said. She had been unaware that there was a person missing in Shelton and so did not realize immediately who her customer was.

Luciano spent about 20 minutes in the men's room, Barden said, and when he came out, other employees suggested that Luciano be made to leave because he wasn't wearing shoes.

"I didn't want to do that, but then he asked for a bag and we gave him one, and he put his wet socks in it, so now he's barefoot," she said. "That's when I decided I had to call somebody. I called my manager, who called the police, and they got here within minutes."

After emerging from the restroom, Luciano ordered a bagel and orange juice, and paid with cash he took out of an envelope, Barden said. "He even gave me a $1 tip," she said.

The man was back in the restroom when police arrived and an officer coaxed him out and they sat at a table and talked for a few minutes, restaurant employees said.

Kozlowsky said that Luciano was alert and was talking with a police officer at the restaurant, but was brought to Griffin Hospital for treatment of what appeared to be mild frostbite.

"I believe he went to Griffin and I don't think it will be a long ordeal for him," the police spokesman said. "We're still trying to piece together what happened, and we plan to talk to him again.''

Christian Meagher, the Griffin Hospital spokesman, said Wednesday afternoon that Luciano had been admitted and is in stable condition. "He's still being evaluated," the spokesman said.

Kozlowsky confirmed the account given at the cafe.

Several firefighters and medics from the Huntington Fire Station across the street also participated in the search.